


Rational Fears

by Not_You



Category: Watchmen (Comic), Watchmen - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Rorschach Has Issues, Thunderstorms, and a huge sweet tooth, old fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-10-26 23:05:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10796631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_You/pseuds/Not_You
Summary: In which Rorschach is afraid of thunder and Dan doesn't judge him.





	Rational Fears

Dan hadn't thought Rorschach was afraid of anything, but there can't be any other explanation for the way he tenses and almost jumps with each roll of thunder. When the fifth one makes him drop his sugar cube into the puddle at their feet, Dan knows he must be afraid. Rorschach never lets go of sugar without a fight. Hell, the time he had passed out on the couch clutching some rock candy and Dan had tried to peel his fingers loose so it wouldn't melt all over him, he had almost gotten a broken wrist for his trouble. 

To his credit, Rorschach had been duly ashamed of himself when Dan's frantic "Rorschach! Rorschach it's me, seriously don't-- ow, fuck!" had woken him up. He had even opened up enough to confirm Dan's initial certainty that his childhood had completely sucked, and they had had some kind of moment over partially melted rock candy, since Rorschach had insisted on giving him half.

Now he curses softly, contemplates fishing around for it so obviously that Dan can practically hear him thinking, and then gives it up for lost.

"Rorschach, it's been a slow night." Dan puts a hand on his shoulder. "We can just go in."

Rorschach shakes his head. "No. Scum deserve no respite."

"It's too wet for crime. Come on." Rorschach shakes his head violently, and Dan doesn't have to see his face to have an idea of the mulish look that must be there. He sighs and puts a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay if you don't like thunder, Rorschach."

"Not afraid," he growls, and Dan can tell that he is even more than before, and he opens his mouth to say something about how everyone has their limits when a bolt of eldritch purple lightning strikes the ground close enough for them to smell the ozone. Dan doesn't even have time to try to blink the spots out of his eyes before his arms are full of Rorschach. It would be funny if he wasn't actually whimpering in terror, taut and trembling as his gloved fingers clutch convulsively at Dan's cloak.

"Ssshhh." He rubs his back soothingly through the coat. "Can we take that as a sign from God to go home?" Rorschach nods, pulling away. "Hey." Dan catches his arm. "Everyone's afraid of something."

"Babyish," Rorschach mutters as they head back to Archie, who is naturally shielded from lightning strikes because Dan thinks of everything. "Stupid." He doesn't pull his arm away, and Dan smiles as they climb into the ship.

"No it's not. At least lightning can actually kill you. Some people are scared of the number thirteen." Takeoff is tricky in all the wind, and he doesn't look over at Rorschach until they're above the worst of it. When he does, he sees him curled into a ball in the shotgun seat, hugging his knees and murmuring what might be the twenty-third Psalm.

"Rorschach." He reaches over and takes his hand. "We're safe in here, okay? And you can crash at my place so you don't have to walk home in this."

"...Thank you, Daniel," he murmurs after a long moment.

"You're welcome." He smiles, and turns back to the task at hand, glad that he actually caved in and bought bottled Cokes.


End file.
